1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a user interface device and an image displaying method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in image processing apparatuses, such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers, a user selects a function desired to be executed from out of functions of an image processing apparatus, and sets the function as desired. For example, the apparatus is configured to receive settings, including those regarding the type and state, such as density, of a document, those regarding various image processing, such as image enlargement/reduction, single-side/duplex printing, and margin size, and those regarding post-processing, such as sorting, stapling, and hole punching.
To let the user set these various settings, the conventional image processing apparatus provides many setting items, and the user has to perform a setting operation so as to obtain an intended process result from out of these many stetting items.
However, in the conventional image processing apparatus, a final process result that will be obtained from the setting, for example, a printing result, cannot be known until an actual printout is obtained, thereby often leading to an unexpected finish.
To get around this problem, a preview displaying apparatus has been suggested that displays a preview image indicative of the state of a print result (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-5471). Also, an image processing apparatus has been suggested that displays a preview image in a state where image data is printed on a sheet corresponding to a piece of sheet image data selected from out of pieces of sheet image data with different sheet qualities (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-103726). Furthermore, an image forming system has been suggested that combines a plurality of pieces of edited image data for preview display (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-234503).
In these conventional technologies, images obtained as the process results of image processing according to settings are displayed one by one or in a combined manner for preview display. By performing operations, such as viewing such a preview and an image and performing a resetting operation, a finish state is checked before printout to perform a setting operation, thereby obtaining an intended image output.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-5471, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-103726, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-234503, a preview display is performed by reading a document. However, at the time of printout, if the direction of reading the document does not match the orientation of images to be printed, even with taking the trouble of reading the document for printing, what is obtained is a misbound document with sheets bound in upside down, and the entire printing goes to waste. For this reason, when an orientation mismatch is found after checking a preview image, the document has to be read again. Specifically, the following problem has occurred.
FIG. 18 is a drawing for explaining the case where a document is read by a conventional image forming apparatus for combined printing. FIG. 19 is a drawing for explaining the case where a document is read by conventional image forming apparatus for duplex printing. As depicted in FIG. 18, when preview images 1611 to 1614 obtained by reading a document are reduced as they are for combined printing, the results are preview images 1621 and 1622. When they are output, the results are preview images 1631 and 1632 in which pages are arranged horizontally in reverse order.
Moreover, as depicted in FIG. 19, when preview images 1711 to 1714 obtained by reading a document are subjected to duplex printing as they are, the results are preview images 1721 and 1722. When they are output, the results are preview images 1731 and 1732 in which some pages are arranged upside down. In these conventional technologies, the problems as mentioned above occur because the orientation of the document is not recognized. Furthermore, these problems occur because of no presentation of an input for correcting the orientation by the operator, thereby leading to a process with the orientation left incorrect.